Young Justice: The Siren's Daughter & The Witch's Son
by Artoo2899
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission. It was supposed to go smoothly...until they they got captured. The Young Justice team, now at the mercy of a new enemy, is saved by 2 mysterious vigilantes. As a thanks, the duo is allowed to join the team but when their dark secrets catch up the them, the heroes will soon realize how much danger they are really in...
1. Prologue

**_Prologue _**

Siren was perched on the edge of a moon-bleached rooftop, studying the three men standing in the dark alley below her. Narrowing her eyes, she pressed the earpiece in her right ear, activating the audio device she had planted in the shadows of the alley before the men arrived. She could now clearly hear their conversation.

"If they think we're going to cough up forty percent of our profit to them then they're crazy," the man with his back to her said.

The second man, who was standing in front of the first man, snorted. "What's crazy is the mere fact that they think we're going to listen to them. We're drug dealers; we have lieutenants and soldiers willing to die for our empire – what have we got to fear?" he asked in a distinct British accent.

_Me…,_ Siren thought to herself as she listened to the men babble on. _And whoever 'they' are shouldn't rest easy, either. _

"Look, we gotta do somethin' about these guys," the third man said. "I ain't letting some lowlife crime family take over my business."

_They're talking about an actual crime family? Well, that's different from any drug trafficking organization. _

"Well, whaddya suggest?" the man that had spoken first asked. "Bomb their known places of business? Declare war on them? Hire a mercenary group to do the job for us? Send our men in to take them down?" he suggested.

Siren decided now was time to act – before things got _too _out of hand. In one swift movement, she had jumped off the rooftop and kicked the second drug dealer in the face, effectively knocking him out. "Who's next?" she asked with a smug smile.

"Holy crap, it's the Siren!" the third man exclaimed.

"I can see that, Freddy! Now let's go blow her damn head off!" the first man shouted, pulling out a pistol from inside his jacket, causing Siren to smirk. Oh, how she absolutely _adored _guns.

The man lunged at her with the pistol in hand but, at the last second, she stepped aside, causing him to stumble forward. She grabbed him by the back of his collar and slammed his head against the hard ground. She kicked the gun that was still in his hand underneath a dumpster and then focused her attention on the final man.

He was sweating profusely and Siren knew almost immediately that he was scared. Siren knew he would reach for his gun next and, without a second thought, she lunged at him. She pinned him to ground with a death grip but he somehow got one of his legs free and kicked her in the stomach, forcing her to let go of him.

Clutching her stomach in pain, she looked up and saw the man looming over her with a pistol pointed straight at her forehead. He wore a malevolent smile. "Now that you're under control," he said. "You're going to do what I say, sexpot, or else I'm gonna blow your brains out."

Siren glared at him. She wasn't going to let some drug dealer be the end of her. She slowly stood up, eyes positioned on the pistol that was pointed at her, and raised up her arms, feigning defeat.

The man smiled smugly. "Looks like you've lost, sexpot," he said. "Who ever thought that little ol' Freddy here would be your captor?"

Siren frowned. "One, don't _ever _call me 'sexpot' again," she said. "And two, I'll never be you're 'captive.' Because _no one _can catch me."

"Haven't you been paying attention at all, _doll_? You've just been caught. And once I deliver you to the boss you're done. For good."

"That's what you think."

Siren opened her mouth to scream but, rather than a normal scream you'd expect from a female her size, a loud, screeching noise came out, sending the man flying into a nearby dumpster. Blood was rolling down his eyes in crimson rivers and he was moaning in pain. Siren crouched down to his height and smirked. "Tell your boss that he's next," she said. "And that it's going to hurt a lot more than this." With that, she punched his face, knocking him unconscious and staining her black glove with his blood in the process.

She stood back up and surveyed the scene. There was minimal damage to the objects present during the fight and all three men were still knocked out – including the man she took out first.

"Guess I punched him really ha—" Siren gasped in pain. She looked down and saw a sharp blade protruding from the center of her chest, soaked in her blood. A metallic taste filling her mouth, her body began shaking violently as blood slowly trickled down the right corner of her mouth. She gasped for air but it was of no use. Siren knew she was going to die.

"You just _had _to mess with my toys," she heard a soft female voice say in her right ear. "I thought the threat on your daughter's life would be enough to convince you to stop meddling in our affairs but you obviously don't care for her life – or yours."

Siren tried to speak but the words were caught in her throat. Tears began pouring down her cheeks as endless streams when she realized she would probably never see her baby daughter again.

The female voice spoke again. "Shh…" she cooed. "Don't cry. The death part of this is much less painful. And don't worry; once you're dead, we'll leave your _precious_ daughter alone."

Siren felt the blade shift in her chest. _She's going to pull it out…,_ she thought to herself in relief. _I still may have a chance to see Siran again. _

"But just remember this," the woman added. "_No one crosses the Andreozzi Crime Family and lives._"

And with that, the blade was pulled out of Siren's body and she fell into the darkness below.

**A/N: Hi, ya'll! Thanks so much for reading this chapter! I hope you liked it and please feel free to criticize, comment, etc. For those who read this chapter on 1/3/14, the only change I made was Luna's name, which I changed to Siran. I'll post this note and the next chapters as well so you guys know! Thanks again!**


	2. 01 - The Siren

**A/n: Before this chapter begins, I'd like to let you all know that LUNA'S NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED TO SIRAN. This same note will be posted at the beginning of the next chapter.**

**_I_**

**_The Siren's Daughter _**

It was every child's worst nightmare. After going out to a party two nights ago, on a Friday at exactly 8 PM, Siran's mother still hadn't returned. Siran still remembered that night as clear as could be: She remembered picking out a blue cocktail dress for her mother because of the sole fact that it complemented her mother's eyes; she remembered watching from the big window as her mother walked down the twinkling driveway to reach her car; and she definitely remembered watching her mother drive away into the night before her aunt Karen told her it was time bed.

_It had to go wrong sometime after that…, _Siran told herself as she looked out the same big window two days later. _It wasn't your fault that you couldn't protect Mom – she was the one who said you couldn't come. _

"Siran?" Aunt Karen's voice said from behind, pulling Siran away from her thoughts. "Sweetie, do you want something to eat?"

"No, I'm okay," Siran said simply. Her eyes were still fixated on the driveway as if her mother was going to pull up in her red mustang any second now.

"Honey, you need to eat or else you won't have any energy," Karen persisted. "How about I go make you a spicy chicken sandwich, hm? I know you _love _chicken sandwiches."

Siran shifted her gaze from the driveway to her white-socked toes. She knew her aunt was right – she _needed _energy if she was going to sit in same spot for the next few hours – but the fear of losing her mother had settled at the bottom of her stomach, consuming the space hunger should have filled by now.

"No thanks," Siran replied. "I'll eat with mom when she comes home."

Karen sighed and Siran didn't need to turn around to know that her aunt's eyes were watering. Karen was never able to connect to children like Iona could and for that she was truly jealous of her older sister. Karen had a daughter of her own – Deirdre was her name – but due to a nasty divorce and her financial situation she wasn't able to attain full custody. Despite that, Karen tried to maintain a good relationship with Deirdre, who was living 2,000 miles away with her father and his new wife, but found that she couldn't connect with her child. Eventually, Deirdre stopped calling and so did Karen. Why talk to a kid, who clearly didn't want to talk to you, right?

"Aunt Karen! Aunt Karen!" Siran called while tugging on her aunt's shirt sleeve. Karen looked down and saw that her niece was now standing in front of her, looking up at her aunt with big, innocent eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Karen asked with a smile.

"Someone's here!" Siran exclaimed, pointing at the window she was previously seated in front of.

From her spot nearly 5 feet away from the window, Karen could clearly tell her niece was right. In the spot that once belonged to Iona's car was a metallic blue Audi. The paint sparkled under the Canadian sun and the same sun's glare prevented Karen from seeing who was driving the car.

"Stay here," she ordered her niece and then went out front to investigate. She yanked open the door and saw a middle-aged man in a gray suit hiking up the driveway. She immediately recognized him as the detective handling Iona's case: Zachary Summers. A hopeful smile spread across Karen's face.

_They found her…, _she thought to herself as Detective Summers walked up the front porch. _They actually found her and she's going to be okay! _

"Ma'am," Detective Summers greeted with a nod.

"Detective," Karen smiled as she held open the door. "Please, come in."

"Yes, thank you," he said and entered the Jordan household.

"Did you come to update me on the case?" Karen asked, closing the door behind the detective. She turned to face him, "Did you find my sister?"

"That we did," Detective Summers confirmed. Karen's smile became larger and brighter. But it dropped once the detective added: "And, I'm sorry, but we didn't find her alive."

"W-what do you mean you didn't find her a-alive?" Karen asked in a shaky voice, a lump starting to form in her throat.

Detective Summers hesitated for a moment, regret and sadness filling his chocolate brown eyes. "I'm sorry, Ms. Jordan, but Iona was found raped and murdered in an alleyway."

Karen's tear-lined eyes widened and she instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth. She was in shock. "This has to be a dream…" she muttered to herself. "This _has _to be a dream…" she repeated, shaking her head.

Detective Summers took a step towards Karen. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said apologetically. He reached for Karen's arm: "I know this is hard but I'm going to have to ask –" The detective was cut short when, all of a sudden, Karen pushed herself away from him and slammed her back into the wall behind her.

"No," she cried hysterically, as she slowly slid to the floor. "No! She can't be dead! She can't be dead!"

Detective Summers crouched down to Karen's level and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said soothingly. "Everything will be fine. I just need you to stay calm." As he continued to soothe the grief-stricken woman, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Looking over his shoulder, he saw an auburn-haired girl – probably only thirteen or fourteen – standing in the doorway that led to the living room. She wore a concerned look on her face.

"And who are you?" he asked her with a weak smile.

"I'm Siran," she gingerly replied. "Is Aunt Karen going to be okay? Did you find mom?"

"Yes, your aunt will be fine," the detective said. "As for your mother…" he hesitated, not knowing how he should phrase his answer. He finally decided on saying that her mother asleep and that she was in this place in the sky, where she would watch Siran from and be protected so that no one could ever hurt her again. But Siran didn't buy it one bit.

"I'm thirteen years old," she explained, with tears lining the corners of her eyes. "You didn't need to sugarcoat it for me; I know that you mean she's dead."


	3. Author's Note

**A/N: Hey, guys! This is your author Artoo2899! I just wanted to let you know that this story is going to be on hold. I know it's only been like two chapters, but the issue is that I have midterms coming up and I really _need _to do well on them. Don't get me wrong: Any free time that I have will be used to write this story but with the amount of free time I have, it's probably going to be weeks before the next chapter is put up. Again, I'm really sorry but until this month is over, my midterms are my TOP priority. **

**On another note, I have a question for you all! I'm thinking of putting this fanfiction on Tumblr to bring more attention to this story so I was wondering if you'd all be interested in me opening up a new blog dedicated this fanfiction? Please reply in the comments section and if you all agree, I'll post the blog's name on my profile page! The time limit is Tuesday 11th, 2015, and even if _one person _agrees to it, I'll open up the blog. **

**Thank you and I apologize for the hold once again! **

**~ ARTOO2899 **


	4. 02 - Downfall

**A/N: Hey, guys! This is your author Artoo2899 again! I've finally finished the next chapter and am _so _excited to post it right now! I look forward to your reviews every time I post a new chapter so please make sure to do that! **

**So, this chapter was originally going to be about the "Witch's Son" but I decided that you, as the readers, needed to better understand the position that Siran is in. To be honest, I feel like this chapter is _really _crappy but that's just my opinion and it's character exposure, after all. I know it's short, but I promise the next one will be longer. **

**There's another author's note at the end so make sure to check that out once you're done reading. Now, enough with my babbling! I'll let you get to the story! **

_**WARNING: THERE ARE SOME CURSES IN THIS CHAPTER (MAINLY TOWARDS THE END) **_

**_II _**

**_Downfall_**

_One Year Later… _

Dr. Prince carefully studied the girl sitting on the musty armchair of her office. She was exceptionally young – Dr. Prince estimated her age to be about only fourteen or fifteen – yet the amount of fatigue that was clearly displayed on her pointed face made her seem at least four times older. Her once-vibrant seafoam green eyes were now dull and lifeless and seemed to almost sink back into their sockets as if they, themselves, had nothing to live for anymore. A distinct dark bag lined the bottom of each eye and made her seem far more depressed than she really was. Her light auburn hair – which Dr. Prince _knew _was once glossier and longer – was now short, choppy, dry and also lifeless.

The happy girl that Dr. Prince's daughter once had playdates with was now like the rest of the patients that showed up at her office – depressed and lost.

Dr. Prince adjusted the black-rimmed glasses that were perched on her small nose. "And how are we doing today, Siran?" she asked.

"To be honest, I've been more depressed than usual for the past couple of days," Siran admitted with a disheartened sigh. "Even with the pills it hasn't been easy," she added. "I had four of them yesterday and still didn't feel the euphoria! It's like I hadn't even taken them!"

"Siran, Ecstasy isn't a joke," Dr. Prince pointed out in a serious tone. "You can't just take as much as you want when you want. Siran, you could _die _from it."

The teenager shifted her gaze to the marble-tiled floor. "Well, there's no way that'd be crappier than my life," she muttered under her breath.

Dr. Prince's eyes softened at Siran's words. She really felt bad for the girl. Siran had lost everything that a child her age could possibly lose and now she was losing the only thing that had remained intact throughout the whole ordeal – _herself._ It was an upsetting realization but Dr. Prince knew it was true. And it was now her job to see to it that Siran found herself before it was too late.

"You need to realize that ingesting any type of drug isn't good for you," Dr. Prince finally said. "It's illegal and, above all, there are people in this world who truly care about you and don't want to see you lose a piece of yourself day by day to drugs...," she paused before continuing. "There are people in this world who don't want to see die, Siran."

"And who are these so-called _'people?!'_" Siran angrily asked her therapist. "My aunt – the only person I've _ever _trusted since my mother's death – doesn't even want me anymore!" she shouted tearfully. "Tomorrow, I'm going to an orphanage! Yes, an _orphanage!_ I'm going to be with living with kids I've never met before so someone can adopt me! _Adopt me!_"

"Siran, please, calm down."

"_'CALM DOWN?!' _How can I _'calm down' _when you're clearly lying to me?! You're telling me there's someone on this planet that cares for me when I _know _no one gives an actual fuck!"

"Siran…"

"No! Don't _'Siran' _me! That's the same tone Aunt Karen used on me when she told me that she couldn't afford to keep me in the house and, frankly, I'm fucking tired of it! It just means you're lying! No one cares about me; I know it!"

"SIRAN, _I _CARE ABOUT YOU, OKAY?! I CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU DESTROY YOUR LIFE! I CARE ABOUT WHERE YOU GO, WHAT YOU DO AND WHO YOU MEET! I CARE ABOUT WHY YOU THINK EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU WHEN IN ACTUALITY YOU JUST REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE REALITY OF THINGS!"

Siran froze and a surprised look quickly crossed her face. "W-what did you s-say?" she managed to stutter out.

"I said _I _care about you," Dr. Prince replied in a much quieter and caring tone. "Your mother and I were good friends, Siran," she explained. "My daughter and I knew you since you were born. As a concerned friend of your mother, it's my _job_ to care."

"Oh..." Siran mused. "I'm _so _sorry then," she apologized. "I didn't…I mean…Ever since mom's death it's like the whole world has been _against _me. I just…I think…I guess…Look, I'm just sorry, okay? I didn't really mean what I said it was just…in the heat of the moment, you know?"

Dr. Prince smiled in response. "It's okay," she replied truthfully. "I understand what that feels like. But just promise me something, Siran."

"Anything."

"I can't adopt you right now becomes things are tough but I want you to promise me that you'll be as good as you possibly can when you get to the orphanage. That means dropping your drug habit, being nice to others and always doing the right thing," she let her words sink in before continuing, "And please, above all, keep what you…_'inherited' _from your mother a complete secret."

Siran's eyes widened. "You mean—?" she started but was cut off by the wave of Dr. Prince's hand telling her to stop.

"Yes, Siran," she said. "Your mother told me a long time ago. I knew that she had powers and I _know _that you inherited them from her."

**A/N: So what did you all think?! I hope you liked it! Remember to comment your reviews :) **

**On another note, this is probably going to be the last chapter I post until next month. Midterms are literally two weeks away and I haven't even _started _studying! Gaaahhhhhhhh...I'm freaking out internally! GOD HELP ME! **

**Also, the next chapter is about the "Witch's Son" and is going to be _long _(I promise) so make sure to look forward to that! Until next time my lovely readers! **

**~ ARTOO2899**

**UPDATE: THIS STORY WILL BE AVAILABLE ON WATTPAD BY NEXT MONTH. BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT FOR EXCLUSIVE PICS OF SIRAN AND "THE WITCH'S SON!" **


	5. Second Author's Note

**A/N: Hi, guys! Due to numerous snow storms, midterm week extended longer than it was supposed to but I am happy to announce that I have finished my last midterm today! That means I can get back to working on this story! Yay! I'm so excited! I'm currently working on the next chapter but you guys need to bear with me since it's _really _long. But I think you'll be happy to know that I'm introducing the "Witch's Son" next chapter! I'm just as excited as you guys for my two OCs to meet! So, once again, please bear with me! It's a long chapter so it may take a while to finish it. Plus, I need to proofread and blah blah blah. Also, I want you guys to look out for _all _the minor characters that'll appear in the next chapter because some of them might return in the future *wink* *wink* Anyways, enough with my babbling! I'll let you guys get back to your lives while I get back to writing! Byeee and have a nice day! **

**~ Artoo2899 :)**


	6. 03 - The Orphanage

**A/N: Hey, guys! It's been a while. Okay, I know that I promised a Witch's Son chapter but, as I was writing this, I realized that if I included him in it, it'd be too long. So then I decided to change the whole plot. HOWEVER! I promise that the next chapter will be about the Witch's Son. LITERALLY. I will NOT let anything stop me from doing so. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and let me know if like the new character or not! I'd also like to hear your guesses as to what importance she'll play later on in Siran's life :))**

**_III_**

**_The Orphanage_**

_Two Months Later… _

Siran stared warily at the bleak structure that loomed over her. It was at least 3 stories tall and colored in the dullest shade of blue in existence. The front lawn of the building wasn't even a front lawn – dead, yellow glass made up a majority of it – and the stone walkway that started from the wrought gates and led to the actual front door was so degenerate that Siran wondered if it was actually_ possible_ to walk on it. The only thing that didn't look old or worn was the sign that hung at the front gate. It read: _"Madeline Arden's Home for the Parentless." _

_Couldn't they have just written 'orphaned?' _Siran thought to herself as she re-read the sign. _At least that wouldn't make me feel like a piece of crap that Aunt Karen made me out to be. _

One had to wonder why Siran was giving her aunt _too little _credit. Deep inside, she knew that Karen loved her dearly and wanted only the best for her favorite niece but the anger and pain Siran had associated with her aunt for the past few months was far too great. It was far too overwhelming and repeatedly impeded the emotional healing process Dr. Prince was trying to direct her towards. It was clear to the good doctor and everyone else that it would be a while before Siran would heal and see the truth.

A delicate hand on her shoulder brought Siran back to reality. "Are you ready to go in, sweetie?" the owner of the hand asked. Siran quickly recognized the comforting voice as that of her social worker's, Mrs. Frost.

Mrs. Frost was an African American woman in her early 30's, who was beautiful in every aspect: Her skin was a light shade of cocoa that couldn't be reproduced in the best of the best of tanning beds; she had short black hair that was perfectly cut in every angle, putting Siran's choppy hair – that was somewhat longer now – to shame; and she had brown eyes that were full of so much confidence and will that they managed to convince Siran that once this woman set her mind to something, she wouldn't let anything or anyone get in her away.

She was always dressed for business and never wore anything to impress someone else – except for maybe the special case of her mother-in-law. Today she had chosen to wear a simple, yet formal, business suit: A white button-down blouse tucked neatly into black dress pants and worn underneath a black blazer with matching black heels to top the entire outfit off. It reasserted the fact that she was here to do business; not play around.

"Siran, I know this must be difficult for you," Mrs. Frost started, pulling Siran out of her thoughts yet again. "But you need to know that things are starting to get dangerous in your world and this is probably the safest place for you right now."

Siran looked at her social worker with a raised eyebrow. "Umm…does your definition of '_safe'_ happen to be different from mine?" she asked. "This place doesn't exactly look _'safe' _to me…"

Mrs. Frost shrugged. "Hey, the ugliest places _are _the safest places," she pointed out.

"…Touché."

~0~

The inside of the orphanage looked somewhat better than what Siran had seen on the outside.

Keyword: _Somewhat. _

The lobby was a gloomy and unadorned room with dull gray walls and dirty floors. There were no bunk beds or anything like that to allude to the fact that this was an orphanage – Siran assumed the actual rooms were elsewhere – but there were a handful of kids playing on a large carpet to the right side of the room. A couple of nurses were kneeling on the carpet beside them and wearing what looked like forced smiles as they played with the children.

_Wow. _

Mrs. Frost led Siran to a mahogany desk that was situated on the opposite side of the lobby. A young, blonde-haired woman sat behind it, her gaze directed to a book that lay open in front of her. Dressed in the all-white uniform the other nurses were also wearing, the woman was so into her book that she didn't even acknowledge Mrs. Frost and Siran's presence until the aforementioned woman made it clear.

"Ahem," Mrs. Frost coughed.

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed with a slight jump. Bookmarking the page she was on, she closed the book and turned to the women standing in front of the desk. "I'm sorry," she nervously chuckled with a smile. "Um, are you here for a drop-off?"

Mrs. Frost nodded. "I'm Alisha Frost from the Canadian Union of Social Workers," she explained. "I called in the morning to confirm the drop-off."

"Ah, yes, I remember," the woman nodded. "We need to confirm everything one more time, though – just to be sure." The woman slid over to the computer on her right. "What's the name again?" she asked.

"Siran Jordan," Mrs. Frost answered.

"And you spell that _C-E-R-A-N_?"

"Um, no, that's not it. It's spelled _S-I-R-A-N_."

"Then shouldn't it be pronounced _Siren_?"

"Um, I'm pretty sure it's pronounced _Sea-Ran_."

"But that doesn't make any –"

That's when Mrs. Frost snapped. "Look, woman, this isn't English class!" she exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "And if it was, you'd probably fail it!" she added. "Just check the girl in so we can both get back to our damn lives!"

Siran tried to stifle a laugh from behind her. _That's Mrs. Frost for ya! Always getting down to business! _

The woman behind the desk looked like she wanted to say something but had ultimately decided against it. Instead she turned back to her computer screen and began listing off all the things that needed to be validated. Moments later, after everything had been confirmed, the time had come for Mrs. Frost and Siran to say goodbye.

"I know it doesn't mean much coming from your social worker," Mrs. Frost began. "But I still want you to be good and always do the right thing whenever the situation calls for it. If you follow the rules and be good then you'll be adopted by a nice family before you know it."

_I highly doubt that. _

"I'll be good," Siran said with a smile. "I promise."

Mrs. Frost smiled back before walking out of the orphanage, not knowing with each step that she'd never see the girl she worked so hard to protect ever again.

~0~

Ava stared in awe at the necklace dangling above her face. Its beauty was truly remarkable. The necklace was a gorgeous rhodium-plated chain with an equally as gorgeous teardrop-shaped aquamarine hanging from it. Held in place by a sterling silver setting, the gem sparkled magnificently in the sunlight. It was almost worth the effort of stealing.

_Almost. _

It still would have been preferable if she hadn't accidentally tripped the silent alarms and then gotten shot at by the security guards. But then again, a little hard work never hurt anyone. And it _did _result in her being able to hold Canada's most prized gem in her hands…

"Totally worth it," Ava muttered to herself as she sat up. Tightly clutching the necklace in her hand, she hopped off her bed and walked over to the small dresser in the corner of the room. It was pretty old with chipped wood here and there but it was still good enough for Ava to hide her loot in – especially since no one dared to open it.

_People are _so _superficial._

It took a few moments for Ava to pull open the middle drawer – it was always jammed – but when she did, a small wooden chest was revealed. Inside was a bright, jumbled mess of stolen jewelry. Sure, it was true that most of the goods she had burgled from others she sold to various black market buyers but she always kept the ones she was most intrigued buy. The necklace in her hands qualified as one.

She dropped the necklace into the chest and pressed down on the lid hard; making sure it was sealed tightly before carefully placing it back into the drawer. She jumped back on to her bed just in time for one of the orphanage nurses to come knocking on her door. It was one of the nurses she wasn't particular familiar with – was her name Ana? Amy? Amanda? – but what Ava _did _know was that she was the nurse who _always_ sat behind that large desk in the lobby.

"You're Ava, right?" the nurse asked. "You're the oldest out of the other two boys that bunk here?"

"Yup, that's me," Ava replied. "But I'm not the oldest. Danny's a year older than me and Andy's a year younger so I'm sort of like the _'middle child' _here," she admitted.

The nurse shrugged. "That's good enough," she said with a sigh. "I'm here to tell you that you're getting a new…roommate."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "And who would this new _'roommate' _be?" she asked curiously.

"Ava Hill, meet Siran Jordan," the nurse said. She gestured for someone behind her to come forward and a girl suddenly appeared at her side.

The girl – _Siran _– had a decent appearance. She looked to be about only a year or two younger than Ava herself and had gorgeous auburn hair that cascaded gracefully down her shoulders but barely inched past her chest. Her green eyes were lined with mascara-covered lashes and her eyelids were dusted lightly with a taupe color. Her whole appearance was topped off by a pink gloss over her lips.

_Geez, how much make-up can one person wear? _

Despite her girlish face, Siran's outfit gave a totally different statement. She wore a red-and-black plaid shirt – sleeves rolled up and all – with black jeans that had a slit near the right thigh. She had on a pair of combat boots that seemed older than the universe itself and a small brown backpack slung across her shoulder.

She smiled at Ava. "Hi," she waved.

"Uh, hello," Ava replied. "I'm Ava…" she started but then faltered when a sudden wave of realization hit her. "But you already knew that didn't you?"

Siran laughed. "It's okay," she said. "Introductions are much better coming from the person herself, anyways."

_I like this girl…, _Ava thought to herself as she smiled at Siran. _Huh. Is this the first time I like someone else besides Danny and Andy? I think it is…_

"I trust you'll help her get settled in?" the nurse asked, interrupting Ava's mental conversation with herself.

"That depends," Ava replied. "If _girlie _here isn't exhausted by the time she's done emptying out her backpack then I guess I can show her around. If she is then there'd be really no point."

"Um, I shouldn't be _that _tired," Siran said. "As you can clearly see, it's not like I have a lot of stuff to unpack."

Ava nodded in understanding. "Hey, it's more than I had when I got here," she shrugged. "But once you're done, I'll show you around."

"That'd be nice," Siran smiled. "Thanks."

"Eh, no problem," Ava said, falling back on to her bed. "Just let me know once you're done."

And with that, Ava allowed herself to be enveloped by the comforting darkness that was sleep.


End file.
